Bright ideas for radiating heat

By Ecolec LTD
schedule6th Jul 15

It's not so long ago that the phrases 'energy saving' and 'electric heating' would not have been heard in the same breath. Now, because of the lower cost of installation and the highly controllable nature of electric heating, it's not just a concept, it's a reality.

At Ecolec we have been providing our core range of radiant panel electric heaters since 1995 and we have succeeded in building up a major niche market with multiple repeat sales around the UK. But it's in the innovative areas of the business where we have started to make a mark in recent years, offering ground breaking new ways of utilising radiant heating, such as heaters embedded in walls and room dividers, and surround heat systems for use in large spaces.

We have even supplied circular ceiling heaters to provide heat for a 97m super yacht – a controllable radiant heater to provide warmth and comfort to the owners and their guests, whatever the weather. It had to be elliptical in shape, mounted on the ceiling for installation over an external seating area.

DISC COMFORT

Our two latest products should only enhance our reputation for producing something 'out of the ordinary' and offer significant commercial possibilities. The first of these is called 'Disc Heat', a new concept which offers any number of suspended circular ceiling radiators, ideal for larger

open spaces or where there is a lack of wall space.

Radiant heat is directional heat, so radiant panels will project heat in a straight line from the heater and warm anyone or anything in its path whichever direction it's pointed in. Ceiling radiators will project heat straight down and warm people under the heaters. Hence the attraction of energy efficient radiant electric heating panels - in this case circular panels suspended on wires or batons from the ceiling.

Placing the heating in the ceiling allows higher surface temperatures for the heaters to be used. Radiant ceiling panels are typically operated at 79-85°C - much higher than wall mounted radiators. Disc Heat panels 'talk' to a wireless controller within a range of 30m to give total temperature control.

The product responds quickly to heat demand and is ideal for a wide range of potential uses - restaurants, car showrooms, offices, cinemas, schools, leisure centres – the options are endless. Linked to remote controls, the level of warmth can be altered to meet the requirements of the

building and the use of the spaces.

LIGHT TOUCH

The second new product offers a new combination of features in bathroom and bedroom heating, delivering heat and light with remote controls, incorporating a four hour timer and an LED dimmer switch.

The Trapezium anti-glare LED mirror radiator has been designed as a radiant heater, from behind a high quality mirror, that features LED lighting down either side of the mirror frame, tilted back towards the wall at 45°, bouncing the LED light off the wall to reduce the glare of the LED lighting. The unit can be wired directly into the lighting circuit, so no electrical spur is required, and the optional use of our WCT 600/TX wireless controller ensures that the heater needs no manual switching on or off. The LEDs can be dimmed from the controller if required and the four hour timer can be switched on remotely to pre-warm

the room.

The units, which are just 44mm deep, can be mounted vertically or horizontally, giving the option of uplighting or sidelighting. They are available in four sizes, with the standard size of 500 x 1500mm, and with factory settings for temperature from 43°C for HSE approved settings, to 55°C

'safe to touch' for applications where children or vulnerable adults may be living, to the standard setting of 70°C.

The TX control unit sends a 433MHz radio signal to each 'registered' heater within a 30m radius. Each RX panel heater has an in-built receiver designed to respond to a signal from the WCT 600/TX. The mirror casing is available in powder coated white RAL 9016 but other RAL colours

are available to mix and match with decor.

These new Trapezium mirror radiators have been very well received since we trialled them with a number of outlets. The radiator is easy to operate and the other benefit is that there is no steaming up of the mirror when the heater is in operation.